Welcome to the University

Welcome to the University of Ellie and Edmond!

We formed the University last year to help in our mission to educate others about all the amazing creatures that we share our planet with, from the teeny tiny to the humongous! We strive to continue that mission this year. You’ll see at the top of each animal spotlight post- the professor that represents that animal group. Along with us, each professor will help share their knowledge of that animal. We are so excited to have “students” from around the world come to our university. Together we will talk about how we animals can share the planet’s resources with all you humans and how you can protect the animals in the wild! Three cheers for the University of Ellie and Edmond!

Meet the Professors!

Hi! I’m Bertie the Bear, the professor of mammal studies at the University of E&E!I’m a brown bear. I grew up in the woods of Alaska where there is plenty of salmon, berries, nuts and seeds to eat. I have relatives all over the world, including in Asia and Europe. I am the top predator in my woodland habitat, but don’t worry I’m a friendly bear. I’ve spent most of my bear life traveling around learning about other mammals of the world, we sure are a diverse group.In my spare time I like to hang out with my friends, eat salmon and bagels and talk about how we can save our planet. I also love to eat honey pies when I get the inkling.

Hello! I am Baxter the Blue Footed Booby, the professor of birds!I hail from the Galapagos Islands which are located off the coast of South America in the Pacific Islands.I am sea bird. I fly far off the coast of the islands looking for my favorite foods, anchovies. We Blue footed boobies are excellent divers. Luckily, the University keeps a supply for me in the cafeteria.My favorite thing to do in the world, is dance! I use my famous blue feet to attract female blue footed boobies! We apparently looked funny to the Spanish explorers who first saw us. The word Booby is thought to come from the Spanish word “bobo”- meaning “stupid”. I’ll admit we are bit silly looking when we dance, but it sure is fun!

Howdy! I’m Carl the Chameleon, the professor of reptiles and amphibians. Along with Ellie and Edmond we want everyone to love reptiles and amphibians! I’m a Panther Chameleon and I’ve traveled all the way from home on the island of Madagascar to be here. I love to eat insects! I use my lightning fast and super long tongue to catch them! I have two toes that are fused together and three more that fused together, these toes help me grip and climb! My eyes rotate separately from each other and they give me a 360 degree view of the world. I can also see ultraviolet light, I bet most of you mammals can’t do that! And yes I can change color, but I do not do it to match my surroundings. My color is changes when the temperature changes or according to my mood. It’s not easy being green or yellow or orange!

Hi everyone! I’m Sylvia the Seahorse, the professor of fish. I’m named after Sylvia Earl, the famous ocean explorer! I’ll be here to teach you all about the fish of the world’s oceans and freshwater habitats. Fish come in all sizes and shapes and we live at the very deepest parts of the oceans to the rivers at the tops of mountains! Some of us are colorful and oddly shaped and others of us are plain. Most people don’t know that I am a fish, but I am! I lived in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia! I’m not the strongest swimmer as my dorsal fin is very small, so I stay close to the corals, where I hang on with my tail. I eat small plankton and crustaceans that I suck into my snout. I must constantly eat because I have no stomach. I can eat up to 3,000 shrimp a day! They sure are tasty.

Hellooooo!!! I’m Gracie the Grasshopper, professor of insects and invertebrates. I’m hoping with excitement to share the world of my insect friends with you. I’ve got a big job ahead of me to teach you about all the amazing insects of the world. There are nearly 1 million species of insects and scientists estimate that number is only about 80% of what has been discovered. That’s right folks, we insects rule the earth!! And without us you couldn’t survive!!I live right near the University! Ellie and Edmond were out taking a stroll when they asked me to teach. Along with my other grasshopper relatives I am an herbivore. I have large compound eyes and antennae on my head. I also have a nifty exoskeleton and I can camouflage to hide myself from predators! Man can I jump! I love jumping! I jump from plant to plant munching away!

Hi! My name is Rita the Rat, the professor of geography and habitats. We animals live in extremes, from the driest desert to the coldest Antarctic homes. I get to tell you about these types of habitats and where they are located on the planet. I’ll even be sharing some of the local customs and languages of the people that may share the habitat with the animals. I’m a Norwegian rat and my relatives live all over the world. We’re also known to be kept as pets and I must say we are generally a very friendly lot! We are very social animals and usually live in large family groups. We get a bad reputation, but we are very important! We are scavengers and help keep things clean and many of my wild relatives are a big part of the food web!